The 10 best places to go in Schleswig-Holstein
A guide to the 10 best places to go in Schleswig-Holstein
Destination Northern Germany. There are a few things you need to know: You will need a car! You will need an umbrella! You will need a wind jacket! AND you will need a big smile on your face to get through to the heart of the northern Germans. Schleswig-Holstein is an incredibly beautiful part of the world with a lot of really cool history and amazing beaches. YES beaches! Most people think of Lederhosen, Oktoberfest, Berlin or Soccer when they think of Germany, but guys I tell you the north is completely different. The northern Germans might seem a little distanced and cold when you first meet them, but once you've built a friendship with someone, they will be your friend forever. I was fortunate enough to grow up in this beautiful part of the world, and I am one of these kinda reserved, sceptical northern Germans. With this blog post, I want to share my top 10 best places to go to in northern Germany, things that you probably didn’t think of when you thought of Germany.
Sankt Peter Ording
The kitesurfing and windsurfing mecca of northern Germany. It is also known as a seaside spa in the district of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. If you are an adventurous person definitely get a kitesurf or windsurf lesson. If getting wet is not your thing, hire a kite buggy and fly over the beach, and cruise through the sand dunes. The kite buggy school in St.Peter-Ording offers crash courses to get your skills up. Both of these things will be an unforgettable experience. After an adventurous day on the beach, find yourself a sauna to relax. Sankt Peter Ording has heaps of different spas and saunas to choose from. The most popular one is Zweite Heimat Sankt Peter Ording.
Friedrichstadt
Also called little Amsterdam of northern Germany. This cute little town impresses with its canals across the inner part of the town and beautiful old buildings from the 15th century. Back then, this part of Germany actually belonged to Denmark, which is why you can find quite a few historical things in danish. To make the most of your visit, you should hire a boat and cruise around the canals. You can also get a paddle boat or canoe if you want to be a little more active. I wouldn’t recommend jumping on one of the tour boats as their English is pretty limited. You are better off reading about the history yourself.
Helgoland
Germany's only deep-sea island. This small island has a quite interesting history, actually. First, it was in possession of the danish empire, then the British Empire took it over. Later, the Germans got it off the Brits in exchange for the colonial island Zanzibar in 1890. Apart from that, the island itself is breathtaking with its fire-red cliff coast and the amazing wildlife it has to offer. You can walk up close to the little baby seals and watch very rare species of birds breeding and feeding on the coastal cliffs. The trip from Büsum to Heligoland takes about 2,5 hours either way and you get about 3,5 hours on the island. In my opinion, it is worth it to pay a little extra and fly over or take the express ferry to spend more time on the island.
Hedeby
Regarding my husband, one of the coolest spots here in the north (think Lagertha and Carf in Season 2 of Vikings). Hedeby is a former medieval city and was an important Viking trading settlement near the southern end of Jutland. The former village belongs to the World Cultural Heritage and in 1985 the popular Viking museum Haithabu opened its doors. Within the museum, you can discover how the Vikings used to live, what jewellery they used to wear, and what weapons they used to fight with. This place is especially great to check out with children as they offer courses like felting and archery which kids seem to enjoy a lot and sometimes the dads even more so…
Amrum
Another but very different island compared to Heligoland. This island is known for having the widest beaches in all of Germany. This makes the beach perfect for kite buggy-ing or relaxing on the back of a horse whilst enjoying the scenery. As this island is also situated in the North Sea you will have a lot of windy days and if you are into kitesurfing or windsurfing you definitely should check out this spot. The most constant wind you will get during spring and autumn. Another top thing to do whilst being on Amrum is hiking the mudflats. The so-called Wadden sea or in German Wattenmeer only exists in the North Sea and stretches from the coastal part of Holland up to the north of Germany. It is strongly recommended to hike the mudflats only with a guide, as tourists often underestimate the tides of the northern sea.
Plön
Perfect town for a relaxing paddle on Schleswig-Holsteins biggest lake. The Great Plön Lake (großer Plöner See) as well as several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides. It is also great to hire a stand-up paddle board and SUP around. But remember to bring mosquito spray, as these little bloodsuckers can get quite annoying, especially during the summer months.
Freilichtmuseum Molfsee
A very different kind of museum. This museum is situated in Molfsee and is an outdoor museum. It is a rebuild of how northern Germany looked like in the 16th century. You should plan a whole day to go there, as you are literally walking around a little village. It is a great way to get a feel for how it must have felt living in the 16th - 17th century as you immerse yourself amongst it all day. They rebuild old pharmacies and show you how they prepared medicine back in the day, and they rebuild an old little fair for the kids.
Lübeck
A very romantic city with cute little cobblestone streets and an amazing old town. Lübeck’s history reaches back to the medieval century, which is represented by old buildings all across the old town. Apart from soaking in all the history by wandering through the streets, go and check out the Lübecker Marzipan museum Niederegger. It is the mecca for marzipan lovers and even if you’re not buying, the shop’s elaborate seasonal displays are a feast for the eyes. (check out our Luebeck video to see more)
Flensburg
A lively university town with great nightlife options. If you’ve just arrived in Germany you may have not heard about Flensburg yet. In that case, look it up and make your way there. Flensburg is famous for its delicious beer, Flensburger. If you haven’t had the chance to drink it yet, go to the next kiosk (convenience store) and buy a Flensburger beer. It is a typical tart northern German beer with only 3 ingredients and brewed after the “Deutsche Reinheitsgebot”: hops, malt and barley. The Flensburger brewery also offers tours, which are great for the guys and girls.
Laboe
As we are both kitesurfers, our instinct pulls us toward water naturally. Laboe is another great spot on the Baltic Sea for kitesurfing with great wind conditions 5 out of 7 days. A good spot to launch from and park your car, is Surfers Paradise Laboe. If you are not into kitesurfing it is still worth checking out. Just wander around the beach and surrounding nature reserve, stop at the submarine boat from World War II and chill out in a famous Strandkorb. You will notice these things called Strandkorb all along the coast in northern Germany to protect you from the wind while you soak up some sun.
Flying into Hamburg? Read more about what to do in Hamburg.
